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Dead Space Survival Guide

Wondering how to stay alive when no one can hear you scream? We'll hold your hand through the year's scariest game.

Whether it's by movies, television or (especially) games, we here at GameSpy loved to be scared. From Resident Evil to Silent Hill, we've played all gaming's famed survival horror games, and we're always on the lookout for new and exciting entries into the genre. Not surprisingly, EA Redwood Shores' Dead Space has been on our proverbial radar screens for quite some time now, as it combines two of our favorite things: horror and science fiction. Now that we've had some extended time to play through the game for ourselves, we figured it couldn't help to share our bits of wisdom with you, our loyal readers.

Let's kick this thing off by discussing something that's probably most essential to your survival: combat.

Remember to Dismember
One of the first things you'll learn in Dead Space is that you can't take out your enemies using the same old tactics you've used in every other third-person shooter. Rather than just firing a bunch of projectiles into your foe, you've got to chop their limbs off to incapacitate them. Most of the weapons you'll find in your travels can help you do this, particularly the Plasma Cutter and the Line Gun. However, we're also fans of the Pulse Rifle, which fires a steady stream of bullets guaranteed to shear off an arm or a leg, as well as the Ripper, since nothing cuts off limbs quite like a spinning saw blade.

If It Moves, Kill It
In your travels throughout the bowels of the Nishimura, you won't be running into very many survivors or pesky squadmates. Keeping this in mind, you should be prepared to attack (or, in many cases, be attacked by) anything you run into. Try not to waste too much time figuring out how to take down a foe, as there's a good chance they're not alone.

Guns Up!
As we just mentioned, you'll want to be ready to fight should the need arise. Since your foes have an annoying tendency to leap out of air ducts or drop down behind you, it pays to keep your weapon drawn with the left trigger while walking around. Doing this also casts a light in front of you, giving you a better idea of what's lurking at the end of the game's many darkened hallways.

Know Your Enemy
There's actually quite a few different enemies in Dead Space, so it pays to know how to best deal with them. Your garden-variety necromorphs can be cut down to size relatively quickly and easily with the Plasma Cutter, while the massive Brutes need to be shot in the soft spots between their armor plates, then finished off from behind. If there's any doubt as to how to kill an enemy, we highly recommend burning them to a crisp with your trusty flamethrower!

Get Your Hands (and Feet!) Dirty
While you might initially want to stay as far away from your horrific foes as possible, there are times when it actually pays to get up close and personal. By taking an enemy's legs out from under it, you can quickly rush up to stomp them into a fine pulp. If you get surprised by an enemy, simply hit the right trigger to perform a melee attack, staggering them and pushing them back so you can fire your weapon.